Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Publication of the Rural Report ‘Delivering Rural Opportunity’

Robbie Moore: Today, the government will publish its third annual rural proofing report on gov.uk. The report, titled ‘Delivering Rural Opportunity’ examines the progress made in addressing the specific needs of rural communities and businesses. In June 2023, the Department for Environment published ‘Unleashing Rural Opportunity’, a comprehensive plan comprising 25 key actions aimed at supporting a thriving rural England. This year’s rural proofing report will reflect on the progress made in delivering these commitments within the four priority areas outlined below. Growing the rural economy will unlock the countryside’s rich human and natural capital, providing skills, jobs and opportunities to local communities. Since the publication of the URO many commitments have already been achieved. In December 2023, as promised in the report, the Smaller Abattoir Fund was launched, providing £4 million to boost competition and sustainability in the sector. Planning processes were reviewed in the consultation on permitted development rights and a government response will be made in due course. Defra has also streamlined customer interactions with Defra’s agencies, and the services they offer, to make it easier for rural communities to engage with them.Improving connectivity will expand the possibilities for rural businesses to grow and the opportunities that people in rural areas have. The government committed to delivering the Shared Rural Network, which has increased 4G coverage across Great Britain to 93%. Project Gigabit continues to make good progress, with England gigabit coverage rising by 1.5% since September 2023. The Rural Connectivity Accelerator, which will provide £7.3 million to test new ways to provide access to fast, reliable connectivity in remote areas for the first time by bringing together satellite, wireless and fixed line internet connectivity is currently in the discovery phase. The government also wants to improve connectivity between communities through improving public transport. In October, the Department of Transport published Future of Transport, highlighting how innovation in transport technologies and services has the potential to enhance rural transport and support a higher quality of life for people in rural areas.It is also important that we build homes in rural areas where communities want them and provide those homes with affordable energy. That is why the commitment to include a rural exception site policy in the new National Planning Policy Framework, published in December 2023, is so important. The Connections Action Plan outlines how the government plans for transmission connection dates for viable, net zero aligned projects to be on average no more than 6 months beyond the date requested by the customer; and last year the government consulted on providing community benefits for those near transmission infrastructure. That consultation has closed, and guidance will be provided this year. Improving energy efficiency is also key to reducing costs in rural areas, and under the Home Upgrade Grant 64% of measures installed by the scheme have been delivered by Local Authorities classified as rural. The second phase of the grant has allocated up to £378 million in grants ringfenced for rural local authorities.The government continues to support thriving rural communities. In January, it was confirmed that the Rural Services Delivery Grant will see its largest cash increase since 2018 to 2019, and the second successive year of above inflation increases, to ensure that local authorities can deliver needs that are typically more expensive in rural areas. In February 2024, the Platinum Jubilee Village Halls fund began offering grants from £2,000 to £5,000, fulfilling our commitment in Unleashing Rural Opportunity to make the Fund accessible to smaller scale projects. The government has also committed to preventing rural communities from becoming littered with illegal waste, laying regulations in January 2024 to ringfence the use of income from litter and fly-tipping penalties, which councils keep, for enforcement and clean up only. The regulations are due to come into force on 1 April 2024, and funding councils across the country to directly intervene at fly-tipping hotspots. The rural proofing report goes into detail about how these commitments were achieved, and how close we are to completion of other promises. The report also examines other commitments made in recent years.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

British Council Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23

David Rutley: The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. It supports peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. It does this by uniquely combining the UK’s deep expertise in arts and culture, education and the English language, its global presence and relationships in over 100 countries and its unparalleled access to young people and influencers around the world.In 2022/23 the British Council received £165m grant-in-aid from the FCDO.With a total reach of 600 million people in 2022/23, the British Council creates mutually beneficial relationships between the people of all four nations of the UK and other countries. Such connections, based on an understanding of each other’s strengths and shared values, build an enduring trust. This helps strengthen the UK’s global reputation and influence, encouraging people from around the world to visit, study, trade and make alliances with the UK.Copies of the British Council’s Annual Report and Accounts for the 2022-23 financial year have been placed in the library of both Houses. The Annual Report can also be found at the British Council’s website: www.britishcouncil.org/about-us/how-we-work/corporate-reports

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

London Housing Delivery Update

Michael Gove: Today, I am using my powers in the Greater London Authority Act 1999 to direct the Mayor to review the London Plan. I have also announced planning support to boost housing delivery in the capital.On 12 February, I set out changes Government is consulting on making in national policy to unlock more Brownfield development, alongside a number of other major interventions in London. I am confident these reforms will help reverse the chronic under-delivery that has occurred in London, but they will not on their own be sufficient to provide the homes that London desperately needs.The Greater London Authority is consistently underdelivering on housing: to tackle the backlog of housing delivery and meet the targets set out within the London Plan, the rate of delivery would need to increase from an average of 37,200 to more than 62,300 homes per year. The Greater London Authority’s data also shows a steep reduction in the number of residential units being approved between 2018/19 and 2022/23. I have repeatedly warned the Greater London Authority that its London Plan, which sets out how and where homes will be built, is holding back housebuilding due to its complexity.That is why I am using powers under Section 340 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 to direct a review of the policies specified below in the London Plan that I fear are holding delivery back and require urgent action.Industrial LandThe Mayor reported last year that there is an estimated 6,800 hectares of land in industrial use in London and 736 hectares of land in industrial and related uses in the planning pipeline that could potentially change to non-industrial use. Keeping our capital running of course requires the right industrial land in the right places, supporting and servicing residents and businesses across the city – and some of these activities need to take place within London. Stakeholders have, however, told us that the Mayor’s policies on designation are too inflexible, which in effect is discouraging developers from bringing forward other measures such as industrial intensification, co-location and substitution – all of which could enable additional residential development without compromising the capital’s industrial needs. To illustrate, every 1% of SIL/LSIS land released for housing could have a capacity for 5,000 new homes for London if we assume 80% of each plot is developable with a density of 150 homes per hectare.I am therefore directing the Mayor to review whether policies E4 (land for industry, logistics and services to support London’s economic function), E5 (strategic industrial locations), E6 (locally significant industrial sites), and E7 (industrial intensification, co-location and substitution) remain fit for purpose, and are making the most efficient use of land in light of London’s acute housing needs. This should include consideration of the opportunities to strengthen support for increased delivery of housing on industrial land, particularly in areas well-served by public transport.Opportunity areasThe Mayor identified 47 Opportunity Areas in the London Plan, which he deemed as having the potential to each deliver at least 2,500 homes or 5,000 new jobs, or a combination of the two. While there is clear merit in focusing effort on those areas with the greatest potential, too many have made almost no progress and others appear to have plateaued. This suggests that the Opportunity Areas policy [SD1] is not doing enough to unlock growth and regeneration potential in all of these areas, with some areas having made almost no progress. The 2017 Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) stated that there was the potential for over 460,000 homes to be built by 2041 in Opportunity Areas, but at the current annual rate of completions of 13,275 in 2022/2023 this target will be missed – unless delivery is significantly ramped up in later years. I am therefore directing a review of how this policy can be amended to maximise the scale of ambition and accelerate housing delivery, particularly in areas such as Euston, which are well connected and hold the potential for thousands of homes. The review of SD1 should also consider whether the current list of Opportunity Areas is correctly targeted, how other policies in the plan that constrain capacity or delivery might be appropriately adjusted where they are applied in Opportunity Areas, and whether there is a role for a single planning framework to accelerate housing.Planning Super SquadIn London, we want to ensure that our capital has the housing it needs. Today, I can confirm that following discussions with Greenwich and Newham, I am prioritising these boroughs for assistance from my department’s new planning Super Squad. This team, which will comprise leading planners and specialists whose talents will be used to unblock major developments, will provide Greenwich and Newham with £500,000 worth of specialist support in 2024/25, helping to unlock over 7,000 homes.Recognising that more needs to be done to enable boroughs across the capital to overcome specific issues that are holding back delivery, I have also asked the Super Squad to focus some of its early efforts on working strategically across London on complex blocked sites and strategic issues.

Department for Transport

Motoring Update

Mr Mark Harper: In October 2023, this Government announced The Plan for Drivers, setting out 30 measures that improve the experience of driving through smoother journeys; stopping unfair enforcement; easier parking; cracking down on inconsiderate driving; and helping the transition to zero emission driving. We continue to implement these measures, taking action to ensure drivers are treated fairly. Today we are publishing the latest series of guidance, consultation and research findings which will help motorists and other road users to benefit from smoother journeys and reduced congestion, with local people getting a stronger voice on road schemes that affect them, thanks to: New guidance on Low Traffic Neighbourhoods – following the recent LTN review, this sets out the requirements on local authorities, including particularly that, via engagement and consultations, an authority should be confident that a scheme is capable of carrying the support of a majority of the community before introducing it. 20mph speed limit guidance – strengthened guidance restricting 20mph limits to where they are sensible and appropriate, not on all roads indiscriminately, and with safety and local support at the heart of the decision. Other factors we would expect traffic authorities to consider include journey time, the needs of all road users, and impacts on the local economy. Call for evidence on restricting a local authority’s ability to profit from enforcing traffic restrictions – seeking evidence on the way local authorities carry out enforcement and how any surpluses generated should be used. Bus lane guidance – ensuring they only operate when it makes sense, for example when traffic is heavy enough to delay buses. Consultation on allowing motorcycles to use bus lanes by default – so journeys are quicker for those who choose two wheels, a further initiative to reduce congestion and speed up journey times. Lane rental schemes guidance – making it easier for councils to charge utility companies who slow drivers when conducting street works, and allowing the funds generated to be used to repair potholes. £50 million investment to upgrade traffic signals – £30 million to replace outdated equipment, and £20 million to reduce poor traffic light performance through innovative technology that responds to live traffic conditions, for 80 local highway authorities across England to improve journey times and reduce congestion caused by red lights. Consultation on removing the right of uninsured drivers to claim compensation for property damage – a matter of fairness for law-abiding road users and something that we can now do having left the European Union. Noise camera research – showing local authorities the success of this technology to secure evidence to prosecute those who have illegally modified their vehicle’s exhaust. These measures demonstrate our intent that drivers should be treated fairly, and the wishes of local people taken into account when decisions on traffic management are considered by local authorities. Further action on these measures and others in The Plan for Drivers will be announced later this year.

Department of Health and Social Care

DHSC’s attendance at the tenth Conference of the Parties of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

Andrea Leadsom: Between 5 and 10 February the Deputy Chief Medical Officer (DCMO) led the UK delegation at the tenth Conference of the Parties (COP10) of the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) held in Panama City, Panama.International leadership on tobacco control This was an opportunity to showcase our international leadership on tobacco control following the Prime Minister’s smokefree generation announcement, which has the potential to be one of the most significant health policies in a generation. The DCMO made a key intervention to confirm that we will shortly be introducing legislation to:Create the first smokefree generation so children turning 15 this year or younger can never legally be sold tobacco.Further crack down on youth vaping by providing powers to restrict flavours, point of sale and packaging for vapes and other consumer nicotine products.Ban the sale and supply of disposable vapes.During the conference, the DCMO also clarified the UK’s position on heated tobacco products. She confirmed that the health advice is clear: we do not recommend their use and the government encourages users to quit all forms of tobacco. There is no safe level of tobacco consumption, and all tobacco products are harmful. There is also clear evidence of toxicity from heated tobacco in laboratory studies. The aerosol generated by heated tobacco also contains carcinogens, and there will be a risk to the health of anyone using these products. In the UK, heated tobacco products are regulated as a tobacco product and are covered by our strict tobacco advertising and promotions ban - and they will be included in the new smokefree generation policy.Outcomes of COP10 COP10 committed to protect the environment from the harms of tobacco and to address cross-border tobacco advertising. COP10 also adopted decisions related to the promotion of human rights through the WHO FCTC.COP10 also adopted the Panama Declaration, which highlights the significant conflict between the tobacco industry’s interests and the interests of public health. The declaration stresses the need for policy coherence within governments to comply with the requirements of Article 5.3 of the WHO FCTC which aims to protect public health policies from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry. At the conference, the delegation made clear the UK’s commitment to this Article.The COP has been a helpful way of keeping strong tobacco controls at the top of the global health agenda. It is also a very useful forum for sharing best practice. As a world leader in tobacco control, the UK remains committed to seeing the FCTC implemented worldwide. At the same time we are clear that the UK’s sovereignty is of paramount importance, and we will continue to take policy decisions that serve the UK’s national interests.

Cabinet Office

Update on tackling intimidation in public life

Oliver Dowden: Vigorous and robust debate is at the heart of British democracy and is essential to its health.However, in recent years, elected representatives and other public figures have been subject to increasing levels of intimidation and abuse, aimed at them and their families. As the Prime Minister set out on 1 March, council meetings and local events have been stormed, and MPs do not feel safe in their own homes. On 21 February, protestors threatened to force this House to have to “lock the doors of Parliament” and highly divisive slogans were projected onto the walls outside. The Government remains committed to ensuring that those who commit acts of evil or promote mob rule over democratic rule will never triumph.It is important to distinguish between strongly felt political debate on the one hand, and unacceptable acts of abuse, intimidation and violence on the other. British democracy has always been robust and oppositional but there can never be an excuse to try to shout down democratic process or deliver social change through force, rather than force of argument.Free speech within the law can sometimes involve the expression of political views that some may find offensive. But a line is crossed when disagreement mutates into intimidation, which refuses to tolerate other opinions and seeks to deprive others from exercising their free speech and freedom of association.Three years ago, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Member for Norwich North (Chloe Smith) set out the steps that the Government is taking to tackle intimidation in public life (9 March 2021, Official Report, HCWS833). This followed the then Prime Minister’s 2017 commission to the Committee on Standards in Public Life to undertake a review into abuse and intimidation in elections and the subsequent Government response.With scheduled elections in the UK on 2 May, I wish to update Hon. Members on the Government’s wider programme of work in this area.Tackling intimidation in public life (pdf, 115.9KB)Responding to intimidation in public life  (pdf, 330.9KB)